Written Off by Barbara Cornthwaite

The third book in Cornthwaite’s Wilkester Mysteries, Written Off is a satisfying conclusion to the series. Katrina is counting down the days to her happily-ever-after with Todd when a series of hate crimes occur in the area. In itself, that would be disturbing enough but each of the incidents has an eerie connection to the students in her writing class.

Written Off moves at a slower and more gentle pace than the previous two novels of the series, possibly because no murder actually takes place in it. Much of the focus centers on preparations for the wedding, working on their new home that may turn out to be a money pit, and investigating the growing number of what appear to be racist based crimes. Katrina’s connection to the incidents as well as Todd’s involvement in the case added an extra level of tension to what should have been a happy time in her life.

I enjoyed reading details about Katrina’s classes, especially the writing assignments. The emphasis on faith and the importance of friendships was appreciated. Touches of humor kept the story from becoming too heavy and it was fun to observe interactions between Katrina and her friends as well as Todd’s family.

Written Off could be read as a stand alone but I would recommend reading the entire series in order to gain the most enjoyment from it.

I voluntarily reviewed a digital copy of this book provided by Celebrate Lit. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Book: Written Off

Author: Barbara Cornthwaite

Genre: Christian Cozy Mystery

Release date: May 2021

Click here to get your copy!

“Break a leg?” They’ll be lucky if they don’t all break their necks!

After years of waiting, Katrina finally has her happily ever after. All is right with her world . . . until hate crimes begin happening in the charming college town of Wilkester. Even more disturbing is the fact that the perpetrator seems to be connected with the writing class Katrina teaches. How can she prevent her rosy visions of the future from turning into broken dreams?

Find out in this third book of the Wilkester Mysteries.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Barbara Cornthwaite lives in the middle of Ireland with her husband and children. She taught college English before “retiring” to do something she loves far more; her days are now filled with homeschooling her six children, trying to keep the house tidy (a losing battle), and trying to stay warm in the damp Irish climate (also a losing battle). She is surrounded by medieval castles, picturesque flocks of sheep, and ancient stone monuments. These things are unappreciated by her children, who are more impressed by traffic jams, skyscrapers, and hot weather.

MORE FROM BARBARA:

What Kind of Lessons Could a Mystery Possibly Teach Me?

It’s been a couple decades since I taught a college English class, and writing the Wilkester Mysteries with Professor Katrina Peters as the main character brought back happy memories of teaching. Not enough to want to go back to it—homeschooling my own kids is much more rewarding—but enough that I had to stop myself from writing much longer lectures into the stories! These are my first contemporary novels, and it was nice to write a story without the hours and hours of historical research I usually have to do. But whatever time period stories are set in, people feel the same emotions and have to learn the same spiritual lessons.

Katrina loves literature and can’t help seeing her own life as a story. The only problem is that she keeps thinking she knows what the Author is doing, and she has definite ideas about what the plot should be. She is not unlike myself: over and over I’ve thought I knew what God was doing in my life. And if He was short on ideas, I had quite a few that He was free to use! But He has rarely been doing what I thought He was, and for some reason He never seems to use my ideas about what could happen in my story. Both Katrina and I need to learn the lesson that God’s wisdom is beyond ours, His storytelling is much deeper and richer than ours, and His plots are never predictable!